The near future: aller plus infinitive
You already know aller. Put an infinitive after it and you can talk about everything you are going to do next week.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Key learning points
- • The formula
- • Negatives and questions
- • Time markers give it away
- • Building a three-tense paragraph
This lesson at a glance
- 30 minutes
- 19 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 19
Watch first
The near future: aller plus infinitive
An English teaching video on this topic from Aylsham High School French. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
What you already know
Part 2 of 19
Before we start
What you already know
You should already know the present tense of aller (je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont).
Key words
Part 3 of 19
Key words
Words you'll need today
- le futur proche
- the near future tense
- infinitif
- the unchanged verb form, e.g. jouer, finir, prendre
- demain
- tomorrow
- le week-end prochain
- next weekend
- plus tard
- later
Learning cycle
Part 4 of 19
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Forming the near future
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 19
Learn
The formula
Present tense of aller + infinitive. Je vais regarder un film. Nous allons visiter Paris. The second verb never changes — that is the whole point, and why this tense is worth mastering before the simple future.
Explore the idea
Part 6 of 19
Learn
Negatives and questions
The ne … pas wraps around aller only: je ne vais pas sortir. For questions, use intonation or est-ce que: est-ce que tu vas venir? The infinitive stays put at the end.
Quick check
Part 7 of 19
Quick check
'We are going to visit' is...
Quick check
Part 8 of 19
Quick check
Negative of 'je vais sortir'?
Reset break
Part 9 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 2 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 10 of 19
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Using it in real answers
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 11 of 19
Learn
Time markers give it away
Signal the tense with demain, ce soir, la semaine prochaine or pendant les vacances. Markers help a listener and, in an exam, prove that your tense choice was deliberate rather than lucky.
Explore the idea
Part 12 of 19
Learn
Building a three-tense paragraph
Say what you usually do, what you did, and what you are going to do: normalement je joue au foot; samedi dernier j'ai joué au tennis; demain je vais nager. Three sentences, three tenses, a much stronger answer.
Quick check
Part 13 of 19
Quick check
Which is a future time marker?
Quick check
Part 14 of 19
Quick check
'Ils vont manger' means...
Common mix-ups
Part 15 of 19
Common mix-ups
Things people often get wrong
- Do not conjugate the second verb: je vais jouer, never je vais joue.
- The negative surrounds aller, not the infinitive.
- Aller here means 'going to', not physically going somewhere.
Challenge round
Part 16 of 19
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 17 of 19
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
____ tense of aller + infinitive.
The second verb never changes — that is the whole point, and why this tense is worth mastering before the simple ____.
Three sentences, three ____, a much stronger answer.
Mastery quiz
Part 18 of 19
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: The near future: aller plus infinitive
6 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Second verb form is...
2. 'tu vas' + faire =
3. 'la semaine prochaine' means...
4. Question form:
5. Three-tense answers are strong because they show...
6. 'Je vais aller' is...
Lesson round-up
Part 19 of 19
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
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Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaDo the work
Your written work for this lesson
This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.
Une journée à Lyon
Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.
J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.
L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.
Original text written for Good Learning Co.
Reading questions
- In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
- Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
- Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.
Written practice
WritingWrite the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.
8–10 sentences
Vocabulary page
Working outCopy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.
15 words
Saved as you type.
Part 1 of 19 · Watch & discover